The Irish standard., 1887-02-26
appertaining thereto having been taken
by the O'Moore's. were retained in their

appertaining thereto having been taken
by the O'Moore's, were retainedin their
possession until this period. Dorothea
dying without issue is left out i'll many
of the pedigrees of the Fitzgerald
family, while others make her the an
cestor Of several branches of the Ger
aldines. Athy, from the gradual con-
| traction of the English pale. became a
frontier and garrison town, command
ing a pass over the river. Gerald,
therefore: the eighth Earl OF Kildare,
for the purpose of securing the pale,
erected several castles, and among 9TH
ers that of Athy, at the foot OF the
bridge, about the year 1906, OF which
there only now remains a tower. In
1875, this castle was repaired and en-
larged by one William White, from
whence it obtained tlle name OF Whites
Castle, as appears by an inscription
in the wall, and which was originally
placed at the nlili within the precincts.
The remaining tower is at present used
as a prison, having been al appendage
to the county Jail Of Mas. The said
Earl OF Kildare also, the more eftec-
tually to secure the borders. and to in
f}uce the gentleman OF the county to
pay attention to them, procured in the
reign OF Henry the VII. al act Of Par
lament appointing the aasizes OF the
county OF Kildare to be held at Mas
aud Athy, and that they should not be
altered or removed from these towns
unless by q subsequent act OF P;rlla-
ment Sir Robert Djgby, who married
Lettice, daughter of Gerald Lord Ofta]y,
procured from James t., in the thir-
teenth year of llis reign. a. ID. 1915, a
charter constituting tile market town
Of -Athy q borough, sending two mem
l1ers of Parliament. to be chosen by the
hurgesses, and governed by a recorder,
sovereign. two bajiiifs, and a town
clerk, with power to hold q municipal
or sovereign court, with all othe, i'm
munities OF fairs, markets and customs,
which ii had enjoyed antecedent to the
date Of the SAID charter. In 1912 the
Earl Of Orrnond arrived in this town
with 5000 foot and 500 horses, and sent
out parties to relieve the neighboring
garrisons Of Carlow, Maryborough,
Dallynallin. l}ert, Cloghrennan and
BallyIinan. In lG4e, the Irish. under
Owen Roe O'Neil, were i'll possession
of Athy, but being hard pressed by
Jones, the Parliamists general, Owen
offered. by his yicar-general, O'Reillv,
to surrender Athy, Marlborough and
Rheban, and lay down his arms il he
and his confederates had the privileges
they enjoyed in King James time. In
1850, the castles and towns We're taken
by CoIonels Henderson and Reynolds
Atby, though a borough, is not an
original parish, the present town being
situated in two parishes, ST. Johns and
st. Mienael's; and the church living
consiats Of q union Of fye-that is, ST.
Johns, st. Michael's. Ardree. kilberry
aud Churchtown. During the close Of
the last and the beginning Of the pres
ent century, the great south road lay
tj1lOLiSA Ul!Lo. GONlA IL Lttl SASitC lif
very early periods, but afterwards being
turned through CasJiedermott, the busi-
ness decreased, and with it the nopula-
ton, for fronl 600, it has now only $50
houses, Of which 160 are slated and
built Of lime and stone, al2. $50 cabins
thatched: containing on che whole
about 1900 inhabitants. The nlanI--
facturers Of consequence established
here; some stutiNs cloths and hats were
made: but not in sufficient quantity 60
uleyi the name CT lnay,,utacture Neither
dc they seem to increase, though a
branch Of the GIald canal vas built in
1890, from MouasteGeyan to the west of
the town. The exports from the neigh.
boring county to Dublin. on rie canal,
consists OF Goals, corn, -four, butter and
potatoes to the amount OF upwards Of
se2O, 900 per annum. tMuch Of the -four
and corn came from the counties Of
Carlow and kilkenny.l